Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1970)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writers:

Tennessee Williams (play)
Gore Vidal (screenplay)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Based On Play | Independent Film

Cast

James Coburn	...	Jeb
Perry Hayes	...	George
Robert Hooks	...	Chicken
Reggie King	...	Rube
Lynn Redgrave	...	Myrtle

Also Known As:

Blood Kin
The Seven Descents of Myrtle

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:R | USA:X (original rating)

Filming Locations:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Estelle Parsons was nominated for the 1969 Tony Award (New York City) for Actress in a Drama for "The Seven Descents of Myrtle."

One of the most bizarre things I've ever seen

This is clearly lesser Tennessee Williams, and must be seen to be believed. Lynn Redgrave's character and James Coburn's character get married on a TV show (despite the fact that they barely know each other) and return to his family's derelict plantation. The only other occupant is his half-brother (Hooks). The action of the film involves Redgrave going back and forth between the two men while they flash back to scenes of their dissolute past. All the while, the river is threatening to overrun its banks. That's it. That's the film. I like Williams' major works as much as most people, though to be honest, I usually prefer the "cleaned up" Hollywood versions of his stories, not because of the sanitized plots but because of clarity. But lesser-known plays like "Seven Descents of Myrtle" (on which this film is based) and "The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore" (on which "Boom!" is based lack even the compelling elements of his more familiar dramas. When producers tried to cash in on Williams's good name by buying up everything he ever did, they ended up making puzzling junk like this.